A Time to Slow Down

I am always in a rush. This week while taking one of my sons to school prior to work I saw a site I just had to slow down for. This picture of the moon represents a moment in time that I chose to slow down and share with my little 4 year old.

Kiva Leatheran writes weekly wisdom articles entitled Pearls of Wisdom. I like her latest reflection on time, it is so meaningful to my busy life and I am certain it will resonate with you too:

The real secret is slowing down, eliminating and doing one thing at a time until it is finished. And cultivating the ability to make fast decisions so that we are not spending so much time in our heads

Slowing Down

The way to say yes to slowing down is to learn to say no to lots of other things. I think of it like a cup. If your cup is full to the rim with commitments, obligations, work and responsibilities you can’t possibly fit anything else in it without making a big mess.

Here’s the harsh truth: you have to begin to put serious boundaries around your time to get what you want. Whether it’s more time with your children, more time with yourself, more time to paint, run or change the world, you are going to have to become insanely protective of your time. It’s your pot of gold and when someone takes it from you it’s never coming back.

Now there are going to be time suckers in your life that are going to seriously resent your commitment to spending your time how you want to spend it, and not how they want you to spend it, but you’re a wise woman! You can take it.

After you’ve made the commitment to slow down and figured out where you can establish boundaries in your life, you’ll want to build buffers into your day. Make some non-negotiables around your priorities, for example your favorite exercise class. A non-negotiable can’t be changed except in an emergency. There’s no skipping because you have too much to do!!

Finally, you want to find some time to explore feeling content. You know that feeling when you’re just at peace? Cultivate it. You might have some meandering thoughts, or feel contemplative, but it’s definitely a relaxed, yummy state. For some of you this could be meditation, for others a walk in nature – I tend to find it in my bathtub. Creating this space for yourself will “buy” you more time than any strategic decision around time management. Cultivating contentment will actually slow time down and allow you to get more done because you will find a more focused, less frazzled, happier you.